Operating mechanism for plug type door

ABSTRACT

A plug type door having one or more vertically extending shafts and crank mechanisms connected thereto for moving the door laterally from a door opening and a plurality of locking bolts movable into locked engagement with a door frame for securing the door in said door opening includes a pair of cams which are actuated by a camming element disposed between said cams and selectively engageable with said cams for sequentially moving the locking bolts into open and closed positions and for rotating said shafts to effectuate lateral movement of said door.

0 A; Umte States 11 1 11 1 3350,33

Marsh 7., W73

[54] OPERATING MECHANISM FUR PLUG TYPE 3,386,205 6/1968 Herr 49/220 DOOR 75 I t R m M h Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor 1 men or fr ms lc lgan l y Attorney-Hilmond O. Vogel et al.

73 A :Pllanl ortdCh' ,lll.

[22] F.slslgnee N: m5 1:31- 1 0 e lcago ABSTRACT l 1 I e y i A plug type door having one or more vertically extend- PP 250,713 ing shafts and crank mechanisms connected thereto for moving the door laterally from a door opening and a 52 us. or. 09/220 49/221 plurality king blts "Mable engage- 511 1111.01 005 0 15/10 with frame sewing Said [58] Field of Search 49/220 217 218 Waning includes a Pair cams which are 49/219, 221 ated by a camming element disposed between said cams and selectively engageable with said cams for se- [56] Referen Cited quentially moving the locking bolts into open and UNITED STATES PATENTS closed positions and for rotating said shafts to effectuate lateral movement of said door. 3,332,168 7/1967 Madland 49/220 2,975,490 3/1961 Beauchamp 49/220 7 (Ilauims, 5 Drawing Figwfm OPERATING MECHANISM FOR PLUG TYPE DOOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to sliding doors of the plug type which are laterally movable into closed position within the door opening of a railway car.

2. Description of the Prior Art The prior art includes patents showing actuating mechanisms for plug type doors which employ gear mechanisms, rack and pinion mechanisms, cams and cam followers, etc., operable by a manual lever to sequentially 'operate linkage mechanisms which open and close locking bars relative to the door opening and which operate vertically extending shaft and crank arrangements which move the plug door laterally relative to a door opening. Such mechanisms have become exceedingly complex, expensive, and difficult to maintain by virtue of the many parts and combinations developed necessary to proper function. The present invention relates to a camming arrangement having relatively few parts and being constructed to overcome the difficulties experienced in prior art arrangements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a plug and sliding door operating mechanism which will sequentially, upon rotation of a single element, provide for operation of the locking bolts and a shaft and crank arm arrangement permitting opening or closing by the lateral movement of a plug door. The type of door which is utilized is conventional in the art, the invention residing in the operating mechanism in combination with locking bolts and shaft and crank arrangements. The present mechanism comprises a pair of cams which are rotatably supported on the door in laterally spaced relation. The cams are sequentially engaged and operated by a camming member which is rotated by a manual lever. The type of camming arrangement employed is similar to what is known as at Geneva gear arrangement. The present invention includes a novel arrangement of two cams, one of which is connected to the linkage arrangements of a plug door for rotating the vertical shaft and crank mechanisms whereas the other cam is pivotally mounted and rotated to actuate horizontally slidable locking bolts which are in turn actuated by bell crank members connected to a vertically movable arm or lever. Rotation of the cam which is connected to the lever effecutates vertical movement of the lever which in turn is translated by means of bell cranks into horizontal movement for actuating the lock bolts of the door. The mechanism can be employed in combination with any plug type door having the vertical rods or shafts and crank arrangements with conventional slidably movable locking bolts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a portion of a rail-.

way car having a door frame and door opening in which a plug type door is positioned in conventional manner; FIG. 2 is'a schematic side elevational view partially in section of a door actuating mechanism which is positioned on a plug door;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing another position of the actuating mechanism;

FIG. 4 is still another position of the actuating mechanism shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4; and

FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. I a railway car door 10 is disposed in closed position within a door opening 11 defined by a door frame 12. The frame 12 comprises an upper plate structure 13 connected to laterally spaced side posts 14 suitably connected to side walls 15 of a railway car. The frame 12 further comprises a lower sill 16. An upper track 1l7 is suitably supported on the plate structure 13 and extends above the door opening 11. A lower track 18 is suitably connected to the lower sill and extends horizontally below the door opening 11. The door 10 further comprises a vertical wall 19 on which a plurality of shafts or rods 20 are rotatably supported. The rods 20 are pivoted in brackets 21 and are provided at their upper ends with conventional crank arms 22, having rollers 23 positioned thereon for rollably engaging the upper track 17. The rods 20 are also provided at their lower ends with lower crank arms 24 suitably connected in conventional manner to a roller assembly 25, in turn supported on the lower track 18.

A door operating mechanism is generally referred to at 26 and includes a housing 27 as best shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the housing being supported on the wall 19. The housing 27 comprises a front plate 28 and a rear plate 28 which are suitably connected to end plates 27 thereby providing a box like structure. The housing also includes a lower wall 29 and an upper wall 30, the latter being shown in FIG. 1. The front plate 28 has mounted thereon an operating handle 31 which includes a rotatable stub shaft 32 connected, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, to a U-shaped camming member 33. The camming member 33 includes a pair of laterally spaced legs or lever elements 34, in turn interconnected by a semi-cylindrical connecting wall 35. A cylindrical cam element 36 is suitably connected to the legs 34 and is adapted to acutate a pair of cams, as will presently be described.

A first cam 37 is rigidly connected to rotate with a shaft 38, in turn rotatably supported on end bearings 39, suitably connected to plates 28 and 28. As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the first cam 37 includes a cam slot 40 open at its ends and the outer peripheral edge of said cam 37 is also provided with scalloped edges or arcuate stop cavities 41 and 42. Horizontal links 43 and 44 are pivotally connected as indicted at 45 and 46 to the first cam 37 and, as shown in FIG. I, extend and are suitably connected to the vertical rods 20 of the door. The links 43 and 44 are of conventional design being adjustable for lengthwise dimension and also being suitably connected by linkage details whereupon horizontal movement of the said links 43 and 44 results in rotative movement about vertical axes of the rods 20, as is conventional in the art. As best shown in FIG. 5, the right hand end plate 27 is apertured as indicated at 44' to permit for movement therethrough of the linkage arrangement 44.

A second cam 47 is positioned laterally or is horizontally spaced with respect to the cam 37 and is rotatably supported on the housing 27 by means of a pivot shaft 4%, in turn carried in bearing assemblies 49 suitably supported on the plates 28 and 28'. The second cam 47 also includes an open end cam slot 50 and has positioned along an outer peripheral edge thereof a scalloped portion or arcuate stop 51. As best shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, a vertical arm or lever 52 is suitably connected to the door wall 19 for vertical movement and is pivotally connected as indicated at 53 to the second cam 47. The arm 52 is adapted to move vertically through an opening 54 provided in the lower wall 29, as shown in FIG. 5. A pair of hell cranks 55 are pivotally connected to the arm 52 by means ofa pivotal connection 56. The bell cranks 55, in turn, are suitably pivotally supported by pivot shafts 57 which, in turn, are rotatably supported on the plates 28 and 28', as shown in FIG. 4. Locking bolts 59 are secured to the wall 19 of the door in conventional fashion for relative sliding or horizontal movement, the same being adapted to engage suitable locking recesses 61 provided in the door posts 14. Similarly, the vertical arm 52 is provided at its lower end with a locking bolt extension 60 which in turn is engageable within a suitable socket 62 provided in the lower sill 16, as best shown in FIG. 1. The locking bolts 59 are suitably connected to the ends of the bell cranks 55 by means of pivot pin connections 58.

The Operation The door as shown in FIG. 1 is in the closed position with the locking bolts 59 in locking engagement with the door frame and with the crank arms 22 and 24 in the position indicated. In the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the handle 31 is in position wherein the door is locked within its frame. The connecting wall 35 is disposed within the stop 42 and the camming element 36 is disposed in the open end slot 50 of the cam 47. The operator now rotates the handle 31 in the direction of the arrows in FIG. 2, whereupon the camming element 36 moves outwardly from the slot 50 thereby rotating the cam 47 to provide for initial movement vertically of the lever or arm 52. This movement vertically moves the bell cranks 55 from the position shown in FIG. 2 to the position shown in FIG. 3, whereupon the extension 60 is moved out of locking engagement as well as the locking bolts 59 are withdrawn from the recesses 61 in the door posts 14. In the position shown in FIG. 3, the camming element 36 has moved partially out of the open end slot 50 and partially into the slot 40 in that it is disposed centrally relative to the opposite closed ends of the slots 40 and S0. The wall 35 has moved to the position shown wherein both of the scalloped portions 51 and 42 are in engagement with portions of the arcuate connecting wall 35. The handle 31 is now rotated further in a clockwise direction, whereupon the cylindrical cam element 36 is moved entirely into the slot 40, with the cam element 47 and the bell cranks 55 and linkage arrangements 59 now held in the open position. Further movement of the cam element 36 provides for movement of the cam 37 to the position shown in FIG. 4. During the movement of the cam element 37 to this position, the linkage arrangements 43 and 44 have been moved horizontally in opposite directions, thereby rotating the shafts 20, whereupon the crank elements 22 and 24 are pivoted to move the door laterally, outwardly in conventional fashion. The door is now outwardly of the door opening and can be rolled on the tracks 17 and 18 to one side of the door opening. To lock the door the procedure as above explained is simply reversed and the door again may be moved to its locked position.

The present arrangement provides a greatly simplified mechanism for opening and closing the plug door and sequentially providing for the operation of the locking bolts and crank arms and shafts. This is achieved by the use of two cams and a camming element which is directly responsive to the operators movements through the operating handle. Positive operation is assured without the need of complex follower elements and gear arrangements such as are disclosed in the prior art. The rotative movement of the second cam is simply translated from vertical movement of the lever 52 to a horizontal movement by the bell crank arrangements with the lever 52 being directly connected to the second cam. The cams are so arranged that they provide for ease of movement in sequential fashion, the arrangement providing for the necessary geometry to actuate the crank arms and locking bolts by a mechanism which requires a minimum of space and parts. By virtue of the simplicity of the arrangement and the absence of threaded followers and racks, pinions and gears, the arrangement requires little maintenance and service since large numbers of moving parts are eliminated. The objective of the invention is achieved by a simple three-part combination consisting of a pair of cams and a manually actuated camming element.

What is claimed is:

l. A vehicle door movable laterally outwardly from a door frame to an open position, a rod rotatably connected to said door, crank arms on said rod rotatably connected to said door frame, locking bolt means slidably connected to said door and movable into and out of locking relation relative to said door frame, the improvement comprising,

a door operating means including first and second cams having peripheral camming edges spaced endwise apart in relatively opposed relation,

first and second pivot means respectively connecting said cams to said door,

first linkage means connected to said first cam and to said rod, for rotating said rod in response to rotation of said first cam,

second linkage means connected to said second cam and to said locking bolt means for translating pivotal movement of said second cam into reciprocating movement of said locking bolt means,

cam rotating means pivotally supported on said door on an axis disposed between said first and second pivot means,

and a cam element connected to said cam rotating means in laterally offset relation with respect to said axis of said cam rotating means,

said cam element being sequentially movable into engagement with said cams for rotating said cams to sequentially actuate said rod and said locking bolt means.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said cam element being movable into engagement simultaneously with both cams for locking said cams against rotation.

3. The invention in accordance with 11, said cam element including a lever having a third cam with an axis substantially parallel to said first axis and movable sequentially into engagement with cam faces on both cams.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 3,

said cam faces being defined by recesses in said first and second cams.

said camming means for limiting rotation of said first and second cams in at least one direction.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 6, said stop means including arcuate cavities formed on outer edges of said first and second cams. 

1. A vehicle door movable laterally outwardly from a door frame to an open position, a rod rotatably connected to said door, crank arms on said rod rotatably connected to said door frame, locking bolt means slidably connected to said door and movable into and out of locking relation relative to said door frame, the improvement comprising, a door operating means including first and second cams having peripheral camming edges spaced endwise apart in relatively opposed relation, first and second pivot means respectively connecting said cams to said door, first linkage means connected to said first cam and to said rod, for rotating said rod in response to rotation of said first cam, second linkage means connected to said second cam and to said locking bolt means for translating pivotal movement of said second cam into reciprocating movement of said locking bolt means, cam rotating means pivotally supported on said door on an axis disposed between said first and second pivot means, and a cam element connected to said cam rotating means in laterally offset relation with respect to said axis of said cam rotating means, said cam element being sequentially movable into engagement with said cams for rotating said cams to sequentially actuate said rod and said locking bolt means.
 2. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said cam element being movable into engagement simultaneously with both cams for locking said cams against rotation.
 3. The invention in accordance with 11, said cam element including a lever having a third cam with an axis substantially parallel to said first axis and movable sequentially into engagement with cam faces on both cams.
 4. The invention in accordance with claim 3, said cam faces being defined by recesses in said first and second cams.
 5. The invention in accordance with claim 1, said recesses being elongated open end slots in one position of said first and second cams being in laterally opposed relation whereby said third cam may be moved from within one slot into the other.
 6. The invention in accordance with claim 5, said first and second cams including stop means engageable with said camming means for limiting rotation of said first and second cams in at least one direction.
 7. The invention in accordance with claim 6, said stop means including arcuate cavities formed on outer edges of said first and second cams. 